Ryanair has called on the government to revise Ireland’s travel Green List.
The budget carrier has asked for the list to include all those EU countries with lower Covid-19 case rates than Ireland, including Portugal, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Cyprus, the UK and Germany.
A spokesman for Ryanair said: “In recent weeks while NPHET has continued to keep Ireland uniquely locked up to international travel, many other EU countries (which allowed the return of intra-EU air travel since 1 July last), have delivered significantly lower Covid case rates than Ireland, mainly due to faster test and trace services.
“Most notably Germany, with a 14 day Covid case rate of just 21, and the UK at 22, are remarkably similar to Italy’s low Covid case of just 18 per 100,000 pop.
“Despite Ireland maintaining the most restrictive travel quarantine restrictions in Europe, Ireland’s Covid case rate has risen to over 30.
“There is no longer any justification for maintaining a failed quarantine on flights to/from other EU countries, which have lower Covid case rates than Ireland.
“It’s time to end NPHET’s mismanagement of Ireland’s Green List and immediately add those other EU countries, most notably the UK and Germany, to Ireland’s Green List so that business travel and other economic activity can commence now that Ireland’s schools have reopened, and the claimed risk of family holidays has receded”.
